“Human nature, I suppose.” I picked up the menu.
“Yeah… but that’s not me. I never wanted an outdoor wedding.” Tammy smiled and pulled back her beautiful hair into a ponytail. “Once, when I was little, my mom showed me her wedding gown, and I remember climbing a tree in the park… dreaming up my own perfect wedding. Every girl dreams of getting engaged and having a beautiful ceremony. But I would definitely make some changes to that now.”
“What’s it like now?” I asked, exuding innocence. “Your dream wedding, I mean.”
“Well, I’m not completely sure anymore,” Tammy admitted. “I wouldn’t want anything too crazy. My whole life revolves around planning weddings. Don’t get me wrong - I love it, and I wouldn’t want it any other way - but I think I would like my own to be kind of simple. And I love the idea of starting something new in an old place. It might sound kind of silly, but I think it brings good luck. Like the marriage will last a long time… like a symbol of the couple growing old together.”
“That’s not silly,” I disagreed. Was this a good sign that everything would work out since Clinton’s secluded old mansion matched with her idea of the perfect wedding venue? “It’s romantic.”
“I think so too.” Tammy smiled over her cheese, egg and bacon croissant. “But I’m sure you didn’t want to come here and listen to me gab about weddings all morning. What’s this surprise of yours, anyway? You have me on pins and needles.”
I fiddled with my coffee cup before answering. “Actually, weddings have a lot to do with it. But I need to do a little explaining so you understand the full concept of what we’re dealing with.” For the… third time? I didn’t know, I was losing track of the number of times I had explained this whole wedding mistake. By now, though, it didn’t take me long to bring Tammy up to speed with my unscrupulous decision. “So now I’ve taken things too far to go back,” I finished. “I need a fake bride, and I already told Mack your name.”
“What… no… Nate, you didn’t. Is this a joke?” Tammy started to laugh until she read my expression.
“No, Tammy, actually, I’m serious.” I told her, taking her hand.
“We just sat here and talked about how a girl loves to dream about her wedding… and…and…” Tammy jerked her hand out of mine. “Nate, I forgave you when we worked things out about our past. But now, I’m not sure I can believe you. This little surprise is insane.You’re just a jerk… a hurtful, mean jerk!” Tammy covered her face with her hands for a few seconds while I was a loss for words. Finally, she scooted out of the booth and hurried away. “Excuse me,” she hissed.
My heart sank. The full force of the thunderstorm raging outside was settling in my gut. I had hurt my best friend - again. Lied to the manager that had taken a chance on me - the man who helped develop my career as a star player. And I had involved Zeke, Riker and Clinton in this ridiculous scheme. I deserved this. How had I been so foolish to think that, although Tammy was carefree and fun loving, she would automatically agree to become my fake bride? A ceremony that definitely did not fit into her ideal dream wedding scenario by the stretch of anyone’s imagination.
I gazed out of the high windows beside me at the pouring rain. What ifTammy doesn’t come back? What if she just calls for a ride?What if…Then I glanced across the booth and noticed she had left her purse.
She has to come back… When she does just ask for her forgiveness and tell her this whole thing is just a bad idea. Pray she will agree and finally see you for what you are.A desperate washed-up-has-been of a NFL quarterback.
I looked out the window again at my car. Thoughts of our love-making were creating a stabbing feeling in the corners of my eyes. Now, my Mercedes was becoming just a blurry object in the parking lot. Then, the table shifted slightly, and I turned around to find Tammy was sitting down, and reaching for my arm.
“So, it has to be me.” Tammy shook her head, but not with anoresponse. “You’ve always loved drama… But you’ve outdone yourself with this one, Nate. ”
“I’m very sorry, Tammy. Can we just forget about this. I was desperate. And… and… this is just a bad idea and very insensitive of me. I don’t want to lose you...”
She patted my arm. “In the sanctuary of the bathroom stall, I realized I had probably overreacted and that you are desperate. And well… can we talk about it a little more? You are my best friend, but none the less a terrible jerk…that aside. I want to help.”
“Okay…” I took a sip of coffee, trying to regain my composure.
“You said you had a business proposal for me, and those usually benefit both parties.”
I leaned forward and took a deep breath, realizing this was the sale of my lifetime, and I had to close. Reminding myself, we could both be winners if we came to an agreement. “I need a fake bride, and you need an in with the filthy rich folks who call the Hamptons home. I have a friend in property management… a billionaire friend… and he’s agreed to let us plan a fake wedding, our fake wedding, in one of the properties he owns… which happens to be a historic secluded mansion thatdoesfit with your wedding dream venue. He’s willing to let you stage weddings there… a unique opportunity that your clients will love.”
Tammy started to speak, but I was on a roll with my pitch, and I wasn’t done yet. “Also, since it’s the marriage of the new general manager of the Lexington Colonels to his innocent high school sweetheart... This is how Mack is planning to spin it… My new boss will want a professional photographer to come out for a photo shoot of us before and after the ceremony for PR purposes. We can give him the condition that the pictures are also given to you, and since I’m sort of a celebrity in the Hamptons, you’ll be credited with planning your own beautiful celebrity wedding… And well, you get my drift…”
I watched Tammy’s face change throughout my monologue. At first, she looked dubious, then interested and now her eyes were growing wider. But she still wasn’t smiling. “I’m intrigued,” she admitted, “but I’m worried about how things will work after all of this… this fake business.” Tammy shook her head. “I can’t commit to actually acting like your wife, you know.”
“Of course not,” I agreed. “After the wedding, you go back to your business, and I start at my new job. I’ll be gone all season. Mack will meet you at the wedding, and he’ll probably invite both of us to various things afterward. We will use the excuse, though, that you’re busy working here in the Hamptons with your own business… So you won’t have to show up. Eventually, say in a year or so, we can get a fake divorce, and again, just explain that the distance made things too hard for us.”
“Hm.” Tammy pressed her lips together thoughtfully. “It sounds like it could work. What if your boss found out, though? You would lose your job, and it could affect my business.”
“There are some risks,” I agreed, “but risk versus reward is one of the most important concepts of business. And the Tammy I know isn’t afraid of a little risk.” I debated on throwing a wink in there, and I was buoyed by her change in attitude. I ended up going for it. Tammy’s nod and sideways smile told me it was well received.
“That’s true, but the jury’s out on whether or not this risk is little,” Tammy quipped. “Let me have a few days to think about it, and then I’ll give you my answer.”
I didn’t like timelines like ‘a few days’ because I never knew exactly how long that was, and it left me in a constant state of hopefully listening for phone calls, but I was in no position to push my luck - extremely grateful was more like it. “Sure,” I told her. “No problem.”
During this exchange, our breakfasts had sat on the table, forgotten, and we returned to quietly eating. Both of us were lost in thought. Tammy had an afternoon meeting and excused herself after half an hour, promising that she would think about my proposal.
I leaned back and watched her walk to the door, fondly smiling as she held it wide open for an elderly couple before exiting. Tammy was polite like that.
Almost unwillingly, I gathered up my breakfast trash to throw away and my coffee mug to put in the bin for dishes. I didn’t want this morning to end, even though I knew it already had. Sure, I asked Tammy here to present her with a proposal, but two breakfasts in two days? That had to mean something. Iwantedit to mean something.
Besides, suddenly I was looking forward to this wedding far more than I should and scared to death at the same time. What if Tammy said no? Watching her drive away, I came face-to-face with the truth and the fear that it brought. I had no contingency plan… nor could I afford to lose my best friend.
